A New York Police Department officer died by suicide, the eighth to do so this year in what has become a cluster of suicides.
The 35-year-old officer died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound Tuesday. He was a seven-year veteran of the police force and was temporarily assigned to work a detail surrounding Yankee Stadium at the time of his death.
“This is heartbreaking. The NYPD family is in our city’s prayers today,” New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Twitter. “Few things are harder than seeking help. It’s an act of courage. I watched this struggle in my own family growing up—the difference today is that there is help. Reach out for yourself or a loved one in need.”
This is heartbreaking. The NYPD family is in our city’s prayers today.
Few things are harder than seeking help. It’s an act of courage. I watched this struggle in my own family growing up—the difference today is that there is help. Reach out for yourself or a loved one in need. https://t.co/iV8jLsqVG6
— Mayor Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor) August 13, 2019
In June, three NYPD officers died by suicide within just 10 days, prompting Police Commissioner James O’Neill to declare a “mental health crisis.”
On June 14, NYPD officer Mike Caddy, 29, was found in uniform dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in his car behind one of the city’s police precincts.
Deputy Chief Steven Silks was found the week before in an unmarked police car dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Silks was a month away from turning 63 and faced mandatory retirement because of his age. Then, less than 24 hours later, 58-year-old homicide detective Joseph Calabrese fatally shot himself. His body was discovered near a beach.
Since the deaths, the NYPD has been working on a suicide prevention plan. About 800 members of the New York Police Department staff will retrain this month with mental health experts with the end goal of training the entire department. Staffers also visited Los Angeles to learn about that department’s peer support system.
Police officials have urged officers who are troubled to ask for help. The NYPD averages about four or five suicides per year, a number that was already surpassed by June.
